EXTENDED: War Paint at Goodman Theatre Final Extension Announced

SECOND AND FINAL EXTENSION ANNOUNCED FOR WAR PAINT STARRING PATTI LUPONE AND CHRISTINE EBERSOLE

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:

**FINAL WEEK OF EIGHT PERFORMANCES ADDED, NOW RUNNING THROUGH AUGUST 21**

***NEW MUSICAL BEGINS PREVIEWS TONIGHT; OPENING NIGHT IS JULY 18***

Due to high demand for tickets, a second and final extension week has been added for War Paint, a new musical starring two-time Tony Award winners Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole as cosmetics titans Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, respectively. Eight additional performances are now on sale for the world premiere musical by librettist Doug Wright, composer Scott Frankel and lyricist Michael Korie, directed by Michael Greif. 

Preview performances begin Tuesday, June 28th; opening night is Monday, July 18. For tickets, call 312.443.3800 or visit GoodmanTheatre.org/WarPaint. Group savings are available for parties of 15 or more; call 312.443.3820 or email Groups@GoodmanTheatre.org. 

Special performances include Open-Captioned on July 30 at 2pm; an ASL-Interpreted on August 4 at 7:30pm and Audio-Described on August 6 at 2pm. 

The Goodman is grateful for the generosity of its sponsors. Allstate Insurance Company and JPMorgan Chase are Major Corporate Sponsors and ComEd is the Official Lighting Sponsor of War Paint.

Extension Week Performance Schedule

Tuesday, August 16 at 7:30pm

Wednesday, August 17 at 7:30pm

Thursday, August 18 at 7:30pm

Friday, August 19 at 8pm

Saturday, August 20 at 2pm and 8pm

Sunday, August 21 at 2pm and 7:30pm

War Paint tells the story of Helena Rubinstein (Patti LuPone) and Elizabeth Arden (Christine Ebersole ) who defined beauty standards for the first half of the 20^th Century. Brilliant innovators with humble roots, both women were masters of self-invention who sacrificed everything to become the country’s first major female entrepreneurs. They were also fierce competitors, whose 50-year tug-of-war would give birth to an industry. From Fifth Avenue society to the halls of Congress, their remarkable rivalry was ruthless, relentless and legendary—pushing both women to build international empires in a world dominated by men. John Dossett portrays Tommy Lewis, Miss Arden’s husband and chief marketing manager, and Douglas Sills portrays Harry Fleming, Madame Rubinstein’s clubby confidante and faithful ally. Joining the cast of the world premiere production are Mary Ernster, Leslie Donna Flesner, David Girolmo, Joanna Glushak, Chris Hoch, Mary Claire King, Steffanie Leigh, Erik Liberman, Barbara Marineau, Stephanie Jae Park and Angel Reda. Christopher Gattelli choreographs. The musical is inspired by the book, War Paint, by Lindy Woodhead, and the documentary film, The Powder & the Glory, by Ann Carol Grossman and Arnie Reisman. The design team includes David Korins (set design), Catherine Zuber (costume design), Kenneth Posner (lighting design) and Brian Ronan (sound design), as well as Bruce Coughlin (orchestrations) and Lawrence Yurman (music director).

About Goodman Theatre

Called America’s “Best Regional Theatre” by Time magazine, Goodman Theatre has won international recognition for its artists, productions and programs, and is a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago. Founded in 1925 by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth (an important figure in Chicago’s cultural renaissance in the early 1900s), Goodman Theatre has garnered hundreds of awards for artistic achievement and community engagement, including: two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards (including “Outstanding Regional Theatre” in 1992), nearly 160 Joseph Jefferson Awards and more. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the Goodman’s artistic priorities include new plays (more than 150 world or American premieres in the past 30 years), reimagined classics (including Falls’ nationally and internationally celebrated productions of Death of a Salesman, Long Day’s Journey into Night, King Lear and The Iceman Cometh, many in collaboration with actor Brian Dennehy), culturally specific work, musical theater (26 major productions in 20 years, including 10 world premieres) and international collaborations. Diversity and inclusion have been primary cornerstones of the Goodman’s mission for 30 years; over the past decade, 68% of the Goodman’s 35 world premieres were authored by women and/or playwrights of color, and the Goodman was the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson’s “American Century Cycle.” Each year, the Goodman’s education and engagement programs serve thousands of students, teachers and life-long learners. In addition, for nearly four decades A Christmas Carol has led to the creation of a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. 

Goodman Theatre’s leadership includes the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. Joan Clifford is Chair of Goodman Theatre’s Board of Trustees, Swati Mehta is Women’s Board President and Gordon C.C. Liao is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals. 

Get Social:

Visit the Goodman virtually at GoodmanTheatre.org—including OnStage+ for insider information—and on Twitter (@GoodmanTheatre ), Facebook and Instagram.

EXTENDED: Mary Page Marlowe at Steppenwolf Now Playing Through June 5

Chi, IL Live Shows On Our Radar:

Mary Page Marlowe

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Killer Joe, Superior Donuts and August: Osage County. Extended by popular demand through June 5. 

"Intensely thoughtful…the work has depth and an elegant potency"

– Variety 

"A captivating portrait of an ordinary life" 

– TimeOut Chicago 

Here at ChiIL Mama and ChiIL Live Shows, we've been so booked with reviews and our own rehearsals we have still not caught Mary Page Marlowe yet. This production is high on our must see list and we're hoping to get over to Steppenwolf this week to review. 

We're eager to see Blair Brown and Carrie Coon in action and one of the cast's youngest, Caroline Heffernan. She was a gymnastics team mate of my daughter's for years and it's been a joy to see her masterful portrayals at Lookingglass Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, and Gift theatre.

"Deeply moving…intoxicatingly thrilling. Four Stars (out of four)"

– Chicago Tribune 

“Exquisite new play… beautiful and affecting…about the evolutions, reversals and resurrections in a woman’s life” 

– The New York Times 

Mary Page Marlowe is an accountant from Ohio. She’s led an ordinary life, making the difficult decisions we all face as we try to figure out who we really are and what we really want. As Tracy Letts brings us moments—both pivotal and mundane—from Mary’s life, a portrait of a surprisingly complicated woman emerges. Intimate and moving, Mary Page Marlowe shows us how circumstance, impulse and time can combine to make us mysteries… even to ourselves.

Get up close: see the actors and experience the drama in the most intimate and exciting way possible. Steppenwolf’s newly added Pit Seats will bring you as close as you can get to the stage—at only $30/seat. 

"Artfully crafted…luminous performances" 

– Daily Herald 

“It’s the most purely beautiful play that Mr. Letts has given us, and its subtleties will linger in your mind long after you leave the theater” 

– Wall Street Journal 

THE ARTISTS

Author: ensemble member Tracy Letts

Directed by: ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro

Scenic Design: Todd Rosenthal

Costume Design: Linda Roethke

Lighting Design: Marcus Doshi

Original Music: Diana Lawrence

Sound Design: Richard Woodbury

Stage Manager: Malcolm Ewen

Assistant Stage Manager: Brian Maschka

Dramaturg: Edward Sobel

Projection Design: Sven Ortel
Wig and Hair Design: Penny Lane Studios
Voice and Text Coach: Gigi Buffington
Artistic Producer: Jonathan Berry
Casting: Jessamyn Fuller
Assistant to the Projection Designer: Yeaji Kim
Programmer: Joseph A. Burke

THE CAST

Blair Brown

Stephen Cefalu, Jr.

Carrie Coon

Amanda Drinkall

Jack Edwards

Laura T. Fisher

Kirsten Fitzgerald

Tess Frazer

Keith D. Gallagher

Caroline Heffernan

Sandra Marquez

Annie Munch

Rebecca Spence

Ariana Venturi

Madeline Weinstein

Gary Wilmes

FEATURED ENSEMBLE MEMBERS

Ian Barford

Alan Wilder

1 hour and 25 minutes, no intermission

Steppenwolf does not offer advisories about subject matter, as sensitivities vary from person to person. If you have any questions about content, age-appropriateness or stage effects (such as strobe lights or theatrical fog) that might have a bearing on patron comfort, please contact the box office at 312-335-1650.

Major support for Steppenwolf’s New Play Development Initiative is provided by The Davee Foundation and the Zell Family Foundation.

ASL interpretation:
Sunday, May 8 at 7:30pm

Open-captioned:
Saturday, May 7 at 3pm

Audio-described:
Sunday, May 22 at 3pm

Audio-described and touch tour:
Sunday, May 29 at 1:30 touch tour, audio-described performance at 3pm


Click here to purchase tickets and for further show information.

REVIEW: Last Chance to See Acclaimed Drama Mosque Alert Extended Through May 15

Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar: Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we caught the opening of Mosque Alert and were amazed by the complexity of the characters and issues presented. Mosque Alert goes well beyond taking sides on a zoning issue and manages to offer an enlightening and thought provoking production that touches on racism, fear, friendship, politics, greed, religion, sexism and so much more. Mosque Alert is beyond timely and broaches the issues of our day in a compelling way that isn't heavy handed. Highly recommended. “The issues of ‘Mosque Alert’ are large, real and occurring here and now, so attention must be paid.” - Windy City Times SILK ROAD RISING ANNOUNCES EXTENDED RUN OF  BOLD, HARD-HITTING DRAMA  MOSQUE ALERT Silk Road Rising’s timely world premiere of Jamil Khoury’s Mosque Alert has been playing to enthusiastic houses since opening. By popular demand, performances of Mosque Alert have been extended through May 15th.  This extension adds eight new opportunities to see what Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times calls “precisely the right recipe for a solid argument play." Inspired by the "Ground Zero Mosque" controversy in New York City, Mosque Alert opens a window into the world of three fictional families living in Naperville, Illinois, whose lives are interrupted by a proposed Islamic Center on the site of a beloved local landmark. Mosque Alert is extended through May 15, 2016, and performs in Pierce Hall at The Historic Chicago Temple Building, 77 W. Washington St, Lower Level, in Chicago.  Learn more about the play by visiting www.mosquealert.org. PERFORMANCES & TICKETS The production runs through Sunday, May 15th. Curtain times are Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 4:00 pm. Tickets are $35.00. Tickets can be purchased at www.mosquealert.org or by phone: 312.857.1234 x201. PRAISE FOR MOSQUE ALERT “Khoury shows a Kushneresque knack for complicating already complicated realities.” - Chicago Reader “Searing writing...[Mosque Alert] captures the temper of our time.” - Chicago Sun-Times “Articulates the issues with passion and...eloquence. ‘Mosque Alert’ ultimately is a plea for understanding and compassion that takes aim at the anti-Muslim forces.” - Chicago Tribune “It is the dexterous cast of this professional world premiere who make his play... believable and compelling—performances that make a show of standard running time pass in a blink. ‘Mosque Alert’ exhibits a thoroughgoing treatment of issues that strike the bone.” - Huffington Post “Mosque Alert, an explosive world premiere, is seen—and felt—from all sides. Khoury’s kickass script and vital play remains exemplary in its civic-minded bridge-building.” - Stage and Cinema “Mosque Alert is significant for its insistence that discussion of Islam’s place in America be reasoned, honest, well-informed, and treat humans as unique individuals instead of abstractions or targets of collective blame.  - ChicagoCritic.com “But what makes Mosque Alert so compelling are the nuances within each family...revealing the weaknesses in all of its characters and in doing so, pointing out the humanity in all of them as well.” - Third Coast Review “The ambitious Mosque Alert is a commendable piece of theater. Khoury writes eloquently and with conviction. He expresses viewpoints (even the most odious), boldly and comprehensively.” - Daily Herald Silk Road Rising’s new work by Jamil Khoury understands the destructive power of hate...the territory is rife with drama and pertinent questions about the modernity of Islam and the nature of bigotry.” - Newcity Stage “There is an unquestionable urgency to sharing stories like Mosque Alert with the world. The production’s timing is undeniably pertinent.” - PerformInk “Mosque Alert tackles a range of contemporary subjects, from fear of Islam, to the crooked politics of zoning laws, to national and individual responses to acts of terror. Strong performances anchor this spirited debate with no easy answers.” -Theatre1234 PRODUCTION TEAM Mosque Alert is written by Jamil Khoury and directed by Edward Torres. The cast of Mosque Alert includes: Rengin Altay*, Rom Barkhordar*, Amy J. Carle*, Mark Ulrich*, Sahar Dika, Nina Ganet, Rula Gardenier, Riley McIlveen, Andrew L. Saenz, Frank Sawa, and Steve Silver. The design team includes: Caitlin Roper* (Stage Manager), Dan Stratton (Set Designer), Elsa Hiltner (Costume Designer), Lindsey Lyddan (Lighting Designer), Thomas Dixon (Sound Designer & Composer of Original Music), Michael Stanfill** (Video Designer), Alec Long (Props Designer), and Annaliese McSweeney (Dramaturg). * Denotes member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.  ** Denotes member of United Scenic Artists, the union of professional designers, artists, and craftspeople. PRODUCTION SPONSORS The World Premiere production of Mosque Alert is proudly sponsored by: The Bass Fund, ComEd, Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, and The Left Tilt Fund. ABOUT SILK ROAD RISING Silk Road Rising creates live theatre and online videos that tell stories through primarily Asian American and Middle Eastern American lenses. In representing communities that intersect and overlap, we advance a polycultural worldview.

Dreamgirls at Porchlight Extended Through May 22

DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND - PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE ANNOUNCES EXTENSION AND 

ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES FOR ITS SPRING ENGAGEMENT OF DREAMGIRLS

The Tony and Academy Award Winning Musical Extends Through May 22 and Adds More Thursday and Sunday Performances at Stage 773

Porchlight Music Theatre and Artistic Director Michael Weber are proud to announce the extension and additional performances of Dreamgirls, book and lyrics by Tom Eyen, music by Henry Krieger. This production is directed and choreographed by Porchlight Artistic Associate Brenda Didier and music directed by Porchlight Artistic Associate Doug Peck, now through May 22. 

Regular performance times are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Added performances Thursday, May 5, 12 and 19 at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 8 at 7 p.m. Single tickets may be purchased at porchlightmusictheatre.org or 773.327.5252. Groups of ten or more may receive discounts on tickets purchased via Group Theater Tix at 312.423.6612 or grouptheatertix.com.

“We are excited to see that the audiences’ anticipation of this iconic production is as great as ours,” said Weber. “Several performances have already sold out and we are adding these performances to meet the demand. The cast, crew and everyone at Porchlight are looking forward to sharing this very special performance with Chicago. Come April all of Chicago will be wanting to experience the drama, the music and the magic of Dreamgirls.”

Full of on-stage joy and backstage drama, Dreamgirls is the story of an up-and-coming 1960s all-female singing group from Chicago and the triumphs and tribulations that come on the road to fame and fortune, and features unforgettable hits including, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," "One Night Only" and "Listen." With a story that lives through the journey of popular music in America, and presented in Porchlight's signature intimate and up-close style, this Tony Award and Academy Award-winning musical will receive an intense and illuminating interpretation by Chicago’s leading talents.  

Making her Porchlight Music Theatre debut, Donica Lynn stars as “Effie Melody White” with Candace C. Edwards, recently seen in Porchlight’s critically acclaimed Far From Heaven, as “Deena Jones,” Katherine Thomas, making her Porchlight debut as “Lorrell Robinson” and Evan Tyrone Martin, recently in Porchlight’s Chicago premieres of Far From Heaven and Side Show, as “Curtis Taylor Jr.”

The full cast of Dreamgirls includes Caleb Baze (Cadillac Boy/Stage Manager), Michelle Bester (Ensemble), Dawn Bless (Ensemble), Kyrie Courter (Ensemble), Gilbert Domally (C.C. White), Jared Grant (Ensemble), Matthew Hunter (Ensemble), Reneisha Jenkins (Ensemble), J. Michael Jones (Marty), Eric Lewis (Jimmy Early), Andrew Malone (Ensemble), Brian Nelson Jr. (Ensemble), Trequon Tate (Ensemble) and Cherise Thomas (Ensemble).

The Dreamgirls production team includes: Porchlight Artistic Associate Christopher Pazdernik (assistant director); Chris Carter (associate choreographer); Porchlight Artistic Associate Bill Morey (costume designer); Porchlight Artistic Associate Jeff Kmiec (co-scenic designer); Greg Pinsoneault (co-scenic designer); Denise Karczewski (lighting designer); Kevin Barthel (wig designer); Mealah Heidenreich (properties designer); Robert Hornbostel (sound designer), Sara Gammage (stage manager) and Porchlight Artistic Associate Aaron Shapiro (production manager).

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE BRENDA DIDER, director/choreographer Brenda Didier, recently named one of the “major musical theater forces” working in the Chicago area, is a multi-award-winning director/choreographer having received Joseph Jefferson Awards for both direction and choreography, After Dark Awards for choreography, the National Youth Theatre Award for choreography and the 2010 Broadway World Chicago Fan Favorite Award for choreography. Didier has collaborated with Porchlight Music Theatre on ten productions, most recently the return of the smash-hit Ain't Misbehavin' (Jeff Award Best Production and Direction) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum as well as How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Pal Joey, Putting It Together, Ragtime and Once on this Island, all for which she received Jeff nominations. She has served as a guest instructor and choreographer for Northwestern University, Columbia College, the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Carthage College. Didier has choreographed musicals, industrials, special events as well as productions for Second City's mainstage and five installments of Cirque Shanghai at Navy Pier's Skyline Stage the summers of 2007-2012. Didier is owner and director of the Lincolnshire Academy of Dance, now in its 16th successful season in its 5000 square foot facility. 

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE DOUG PECK, music director

Doug Peck is one of Chicago’s leading music directors, having won six Joseph Jefferson Awards (The Jungle Book, Porgy and Bess, Caroline, or Change, Carousel, Fiorello! and Man of La Mancha) and two After Dark Awards (Guys and Dolls, Hello, Again), as well as the Sarah Siddons Award and the Guy Adkins Award, for his music direction and orchestrations in Chicago and across the country. In addition to Porchlight, Peck’s work has been heard in Chicago at Court Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Writers Theatre, TimeLine Theatre Company, Northlight Theatre, Paramount Theatre, Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace, TimeLine, Writers Theatre and the Ravinia Festival. Regional credits include work at Glimmerglass, the Huntington Theatre Company, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Long Wharf Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Peninsula Players Theatre, among others. Peck can be heard on the recordings Bright Young People: The Songs of Noël Coward, Foiled Again Live and Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein. For the Chicago Humanities Festival and Porchlight’s annual Chicago Sings concerts, he and Rob Lindley have presented unique one night only events focusing on various aspects of the music world and performance.  Peck is a graduate of Northwestern University and also trained at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. He is a creative partner with the Goodman and a faculty member of the National High School Institute of the Arts.

ABOUT DONICA LYNN, “Effie Melody White”

Donica Lynn has appeared at many of the top-tier theatres in the Chicago area including, most recently, opposite Andre de Shields in Confessions of a P.I.M.P. at Victory Gardens as well as at The Goodman (Crowns and Ain’t Misbehavin’,) Court Theatre (Caroline or Change,) Drury Lane (Hairspray and Aida,) Marriott Theatre (Once on this Island and Suessical,) TimeLine (Fiorello,) The Mercury Theatre (The Color Purple and Barnum,) Chicago Opera Theatre (Queenie Pie,) Congo Square (Black Nativity and Santified,) and The Paramount (Hair). Dreamgirls marks Lynn’s Porchlight Music Theatre debut.

ABOUT PORCHLIGHT MUSIC THEATRE

Porchlight Music Theatre, now in its 21^st season, is nationally recognized for developing innovative new works, reimagining classic productions and showcasing musical theatre’s noted veterans and rising stars. Porchlight elevates the genre in Chicago by providing intimate and powerful theatrical experiences for its growing and diverse audiences. With the vision of Artistic Director Michael Weber, Porchlight builds on its role as Chicago’s only Equity not-for-profit company exclusively specializing in works of theatre in which music is an essential element. Porchlight’s rich history includes the staging of more than 60 productions with 13 Chicago premieres and five world premieres. Through Porchlight’s “Off the Porch” new works program, the musicals of the next generation are developed and given a first audience. The School at Porchlight is Chicago’s center for music theatre training in the areas of performance, writing and appreciation. The company’s many accolades include 11 Black Theatre Alliance nominations and two awards, as well as a total of 115 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations resulting in 31 Jeff Awards, recently garnering three consecutive Best Production awards for Sondheim on Sondheim (2015), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (2014) and A Class Act (2013).

Porchlight Music Theatre is partially supported by generous contributions from the Actors’ Equity Foundation, the Arts Work Fund at the Chicago Community Trust, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at the Prince Foundation, the National Association of Realtors, Bloomberg Philanthropies, James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation and The Saints. The season program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and by a CityArts Grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events

EXTENDED: House Theatre's The Last Defender Now On Sale Through June 12!

THE HOUSE THEATRE OF CHICAGO 

THE LAST DEFENDER 

EXTENDS THROUGH JUNE 12

To say we're super stoked about this show here at ChiIL Mama & ChiIL Live Shows is a colossal understatement! I played when they first opened, with my son and a couple of his friends, all high school freshmen. 

We ran out of time and blew up the world, but had a blast! During the first wave of shows in February, we were also excited to partner up with The House and give away 2 pairs of these highly sought after tickets to our readers. The rest is history.

 The Last Defender Production Photo by Johnny Knight

The initial run and extension sold out super fast and my son, Dugan, loved the show so much we bought 6 tickets so he could come back with more friends and play again for his 15th birthday. This series of puzzles is crazy tough to crack (only 22 out of the first 100 teams did it!!) and on Dugan's birthday they were 1 task short of solving it the 2nd time around when they had to strike a "costly compromise" with under 10 seconds to total annihilation. The game was a huge hit for all involved, and one of the most memorable birthdays ever. Oh so highly recommended! 

Dugan & his birthday entourage got to play the ONE HUNDREDTH GAME, on Easter, & have a birthday party too!

Check out our full set of Dugan's Last Defender Birthday shots in the slideshow here and more favorites embedded below:

We're elated about the latest extension because EVERYONE should have a chance to play this live action room escape puzzle. It's great for guys, girls, and geeks ages 14+ and it's SO much fun we're hoping a room escape show becomes part of The House Theater's line up every season. 

We played on Easter afternoon so it was oddly fitting to be following black rabbits down the hole into an alternate near apocalyptic reality. They even left Easter eggs (of the candy filled variety, not the hidden code easter eggs of video game fame) around the playing space as an extra treat and the birthday boy got one in his locker. House Theatre ROCKS!

We even made Dugan a Last Defender 15th Birthday Cake & shared it with cast & crew.

The Last Defender is great for a group of friends, date night, or family fun for high school kids through adults. It's addictive and players are returning in droves to play again and again. Book your tickets NOW before the clock ticks down and all you see on site are the sad words SOLD OUT! Don't miss THIS!

  The Last Defender Production Photo by Johnny Knight

WHAT:              

The House Theater of Chicago is adding 86 new performance times, extending to June 12

WHERE:          

The Chopin Theater Downstairs, 1543 W. Division St.

WHEN:            

Extension Dates: April 24 - June 12

The regular performance schedule is now as follows: Wednesdays at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays at 7 and 9 p.m., Saturdays at 2, 4, 7 and 9 p.m.

Through April 17: Sundays at 4:30 and 7 p.m.

Starting April 24: Sundays 4:30 and 6:30 p.m.

These added dates and extension go on sale to the public on Monday April 4

                     

MORE:             

A total of 86 performance times have been added for this live action game after selling out over 90% of the existing playtimes. 

The Last Defender Production Photo by Johnny Knight

ABOUT THE LAST DEFENDER 

Artistic Director Nathan Allen and Company Member and D.C. Comics artist Chris Burnham, have teamed up with some of Chicago’s best loved puzzle and game designers in this world premiere. Together, they created a wholly new experiment in immersive story and stagecraft call The Last Defender.  It’s part performance, part puzzle hunt, and part live action game.

Set during the Cold War, The Last Defender draws on the era's sense of paranoia, and fear of nuclear attack to give audiences a one-of-a-kind storytelling experience. Audience members become the

heroes of the story in The Defenders' underground headquarters. The United States and The Soviet Union are still mired in the Cold War. Artificial intelligence has been deployed alongside 8 bit

arcade-style computer technologies to control our nuclear weapons.

The game will present teams of players with a classic "trolley problem” resulting in three possible endings based on their choices and actions: Nuclear War, which is easy to achieve. Nuclear Peace, which is very difficult, and a costly compromise scenario for teams who fail to reach Nuclear Peace but wish to avoid Nuclear War. Players will navigate their own paranoia, as well as the stresses of Mutually Assured Destruction to do the job of The Defenders. Everyone will work as a team to gather information, solve puzzles, and make increasingly difficult decisions in real time. All to complete The Defenders' mission and save the world.

Photo Favorites: Dugan's Last Defender Birthday 

Dugan and I both bought these rockin' Last Defender tee shirts after we played in February! And everyone who plays get a free surprise packet to take home.

The geek in me loves that they're keeping game stats & standings:

OPENING: Tom Stoppard's Arcadia Inaugural Offering at Writers Theatre's New Digs

Writers Theatre inaugurates new theatre center with

Arcadia

By Tom Stoppard

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam

EXTENDED: New dates added, due to popular demand!

Now playing March 16, 2016 – May 1, 2016

Arcadia is first production at Writers Theatre’s new home designed by Studio Gang Architects

Writers Theatre, under leadership of Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma, presents the first production in their new home, Arcadia, written by Tom Stoppard, directed by Michael Halberstam. The production, which begins performances on March 16, 2016 has already been extended by one week, and will now play through May 1, 2016 in the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre in Writers Theatre’s new theater center at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. 

                        

Schedule: Tuesdays - Fridays: 7:30pm (with select 3:00pm Wednesday matinees)

Saturdays: 3:00pm and 7:30pm

Sundays: 2:00pm and 6:00pm

Prices: Tickets start at $35. Purchase early for best prices     

Box Office:  The Box Office is located at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe; 

847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org

In the heart of a 19^th century English country estate awash in secret desires, illicit affairs and professional rivalries, a brilliant young student proposes an earthshaking scientific theory. Two hundred years later at that same estate, academic adversaries Hannah and Bernard race to unravel the enticing mysteries left behind in a heated battle for intellectual and sexual dominance.

Part detective story and part comedy of manners, Tom Stoppard's elegant, time-jumping masterpiece forges a complex comedy of wit, romance, poetry, sex and scientific theory, introducing characters whose lives and passions intersect across the centuries.

Directed by Artistic Director Michael Halberstam, who previously helmed WT’s hit productions of Stoppard’s The Real Thing, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Rough Crossing Arcadia serves as an ideal first production in Writers Theatre’s new home, serving as bridge between the Theatre’s celebrated past and its exciting future.

*Arcadia marks the 100^th production in Writers Theatre history and the first production at the Theatre’s new home at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. It will be staged in the 250-seat Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre, designed by Studio Gang Architects, led by Founding Design Principal Jeanne Gang.*

“I cannot think of a more fitting way to embrace our new home than with a production of Tom Stoppard’s beautiful ode to the past, the present and the future,” said Artistic Director Michael Halberstam. “It is a play that stands at the core of our mission to focus on intimate engagements with text and artist. It takes advantage of the epic canvass that our beautiful new Nichols theatre can encompass while highlighting the intimate relationship that can be articulated between audience and actor. Our cast and production team is rooted firmly in Chicago and embodies the remarkable breadth of artistry that lies at the heart of our very unique and exciting community."

*In 2006, the Royal Institution of Great Britain named Arcadia one of the best science-related works ever written.*

The cast of Arcadia includes Greg Matthew Anderson (Septimus Hodge), Chaon Cross (Lady Croom), Kate Fry (Hannah Jarvis), Torrey Hanson (Jellaby), Nathan Hosner (Capt. Brice, RN), Callie Johnson (Chloë Coverly), Scott Parkinson (Bernard Nightingale), Gabriel Ruiz (Richard Noakes), Alistair Sewell (Gus Coverly/Agustus Coverly), Christopher Sheard (Valentine Coverly), Elizabeth Stenholt (Thomasina Coverly) and Rod Thomas (Ezra Chater).

The designers are Collette Pollard (Scenic Designer), Rachel Anne Healy (Costume Designer), John Culbert (Lighting Designer), Josh Schmidt (Sound Designer) and Scott Dickens (Properties Master).  The Stage Manager is David Castellanos, and the Dialect Coach is Eva Breneman.

 

EXTENDED: Gift's World Premiere, Good For Otto Extended 3 More Weeks

THE GIFT THEATRE EXTENDS DAVID RABE’S  

REMARKABLE HIT GOOD FOR OTTO 

THREE ADDITIONAL WEEKS

Special reception and conversation on Monday, November 9 offers theatergoers the chance to hear from the acclaimed writer and director

To accommodate demand for tickets, The Gift Theatre has added performances and extended the run of its critically acclaimed new play, Good for Otto, written by Tony Award-winning playwright David Rabe and directed by Gift artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton. Originally scheduled to close November 22, Good for Otto, will continue performances December 3- December 20, 2015. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Please consult The Gift’s website at thegifttheatre.org or call the box office at 773-283-7071 for the most current schedule and ticket availability.  

Here at ChiIL Live Shows, we haven't had a chance to catch this one yet, but the buzz has been amazing and it's high on our must see list. Book your tickets now. This one has been selling out regularly and the extension tickets are sure to go fast.

“I am deeply moved that this epic masterwork by American master playwright David Rabe has found its home and voice at The Gift Theatre in Chicago,” said Thornton. “We look forward to as many people as possible experiencing David's beautiful and mesmerizing opus, Good For Otto. In Good For Otto, one character's motto is ‘Fortune favors the brave’; David's writing, the ensemble's acting and the world created by our designers is bravery defined.”

In addition to the extension, the National Veterans Art Museum (4041 N. Milwaukee) will host “A Legendary Reception: David Rabe,” a special one-night event on Monday, November 9, 6:30 - 9:00pm featuring a rare and intimate conversation with director Michael Patrick Thornton, Theatre and Dance critic of the Chicago Sun-Times Hedy Weiss, and American theater legend David Rabe about his work and an exploration behind the scenes of The Gift's acclaimed world premiere of Good for Otto. Individual tickets are $100 and can be reserved at thegifttheatre.org/shows-events or by calling 773-283-7071.  Cocktails will be served throughout the evening.

Haunted by his own childhood, a psychologist tries to minister to the distressed souls who find their way to the doors of the health center he runs in a cluster of Connecticut hamlets and villages. Absurd at times, sadly comic and touching in the twists and turns of their simple humanity, men and women, young and old, rich and poor bring their pain in from the bucolic setting of trees, white churches, streams and mountains ranges for Dr. Michaels and his collogues with hopes of relief in the world premiere of this whimsical, yet tornadic, ensemble piece.

Playwright David Rabe received a Tony Award for Best Play in 1972 for Sticks and Bones and also received Tony Award nominations for Best Play in 1974 for In the Boom Boom Room, 1977’s Streamers and 1985’s Hurlyburly.

THE CAST

Cyd Blakewell – Marcy

Brittany Burch – Mother

John Connolly – Timothy

Paul D'Addario – Jimmy

Patricia Donegan – Teresa Gilchrist

John Gawlik – Dr. Robert Michaels

Caroline Heffernan – Frannie

Alexandra Main – Jane

Donna McGough – Mrs. Garland

Kenny Mihlfried – Jerome

Darci Nalepa – Nora

Lynda Newton – Evangeline Ryder 

Rob Riley – Barnard Gilchrist

Justine Serino – Denise

Jay Worthington – Alex

About The Gift Theatre

The 2015 Season began in January with TEN, The Gift’s annual kickoff celebration of ten-minute plays curated by artistic director Michael Patrick Thornton and associate artistic director Paul D'Addario. The season kicked off March 5 with the world premiere of Mat Smart’s quirky and beautiful play The Royal Society of Antarctica, directed by Gift Ensemble member John Gawlik. Director Marti Lyons (Bethany) returned for Body + Blood written by The Gift Co-Founder, William Nedved; the season closes with David Rabe’s (Hurlyburly, Streamers) Good For Otto directed by The Gift Co-Founder and Artistic Director Michael Patrick Thornton. Subscriptions for the entire 2015 season, which includes three world premieres, are available for as little as $75. The Gift subscribers ("Gifters") receive admission to three shows, free parking at Gale Street Inn, free admission to all Wednesday night “Natural Gas” improv shows and invitations to special subscriber-only special events. Subscribe at http://thegifttheatre.org/ or call 773-283-7071.

The Gift Theatre is conveniently located at 4802 N. Milwaukee in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood, and is easily accessible by the CTA Blue Line, the Lawrence and Milwaukee Avenue buses and the Kennedy Expressway. For more information about The Gift Theatre’s productions and programs, visit www.thegifttheatre.org.